Food is my love language. I want to feed hungry people. So this year I've created a fusion of food for your body and food for your soul. This will be a year of delicious recipes I'm making now combined with relatable reflections divine readings from the book of John. If you consume what I'm preparing, you'll be nourished. That's a promise. Join me if you're hungry.
The One Who Moved Into The Neighborhood
Last week, I sent you food for the soul and have enjoyed conversations about beets, banana bread and wrapping cheese. This week, I have some soul food for you.
Have you ever had a book change your life? The gospel of John did that for mine. John saw Jesus. John spent time with Jesus. Jesus changed Johns's life, and he tells us all about Jesus slowly, almost leisurely.
Here is John's gospel as soul food for you this year. I'll begin with a reflection.
Be aware of what get's your attention. Whatever speaks is meant for your hungry soul.
READ: John 1: 14-18 The Message
While walking a field, I released my heart full of anger, fear, hurt, desparation and bitterness, into my fist, shook it at the sky and yelled: “If you’re for real God, what do you want with me?” (Expletives deleted).
Six months earlier I had delivered triplets, two sons and a daughter. They lived for hours. Grief was deep, anger was hot, despair was unbearable. I was ready to leave the faith I had up to that point in time. The God I knew about made no sense.
I cried out and immediately I heard a voice reply:
“I want all of you.”
Being answered shocked me into stillness and silence. I don’t remember walking home. Those words couldn’t be ignored. I needed to know the one who would speak to me out-loud. And I needed to know what ‘I want all of you’ meant. My search began at a beginner Bible Study. I opened up the book of John and started asking questions.
John said, ‘we saw Jesus and he is full of love and forgiveness.’
Hungry people need love and forgiveness.
John introduces us to who Jesus is with names: Jesus the Word, Life, True Light, the Fathers one and only Son.
Jesus didn’t come and answer everyone’s questions. He didn’t come and fix everything people wanted fixed. He didn’t lay out detailed next steps for how the future would play out. He came and showed us God’s face.
This is the One whose voice I heard saying: I want all of you. God got intimate with me in death valley and called me to life for the rest of my life. The message came for me one day so many years ago. The message is exactly the same today for you.
How has God revealed himself to you?
Prayer
Son of God, if you want all of me, I need all of you. I am in awe of your ability and willingness to show yourself to humans in ways humans can see and hear you.
Here is what I have of myself to give you today…
Thank you for showing up face to face and moving into the neighborhood. Amen
Hi! I'm Laura DeGroot, The Caffeinated Woman
Food is my love language. I want to feed hungry people. So this year I've created a fusion of food for your body and food for your soul. This will be a year of delicious recipes I'm making now combined with relatable reflections divine readings from the book of John. If you consume what I'm preparing, you'll be nourished. That's a promise. Join me if you're hungry.
Summer is NOT OVER. Summer technically lasts three full months. It isn't determined by school administrators who tell kids how many days they need to be in school. Daylight and dark have to be equal to mark the official end of summer which will happen the day after my birthday ~ September 22. Since summer is not over, you must make this salad at least once between now and September 22. I have a saying, "don't should on yourself and don't should on other people." So I will not say, you should...
Sheep and cows are not the problem in this story. My title is misleading. But there's a story ahead where the sheep and cows get kicked out of a place they don't belong. So do the people selling them. What's really coming is a look at what doesn't belong in our life and who does the kicking out. Turns out we are unable, unwilling, unconcerned, or unaware of what sheep and cows don't belong but God isn't and he cares enough to send in his whip-weilding passionately loving Son to do the job...
As a writer of words on the internet, I wonder if anyone notices when they don't come consistently. There are all manner of explanations for why I'm prone to inconsistency and being late. It happens in every part of my life from going to work, going to lunch, going to bed, and going to my computer to write words. This makes me feel guilty, sorry, and frustrated. There are strategies to help which I employ. They do not work 100% of the time. They have not worked well in April and I'd like to...